THIS is among the best theological books that I have read on artificial intelligence (AI), and the best that I have come across for a popular audience. It is not without weaknesses, and British readers (or pastors who think of setting it for a study group) will want to bear in mind that it is clearly written for a US readership, but the most important thing to say is that this book is wise and practical, and the authors have their feet planted firmly on the ground.
I note this because too much theological writing on AI has been fixated on “advanced super-intelligence” and computer personhood. Of course, some theological attention should be given to those themes, but not too much: true intelligence or personhood may never arise. Meanwhile, the application of AI is busy transforming human life across the board. Best, for the most part, to attend to that rather than put the lion’s share of theological thinking into speculation around the “what ifs” of science fiction. With considerable pastoral insight, Sean O’Callaghan and Paul A. Hoffman help us to take a step back and think about AI and life now.
If the book has a weakness, that would be that it is too much stitched together from quotations and summaries of other works. I wish the authors had shown the confidence to write for longer stretches in their own voice, letting sources for their argument be acknowledged more in footnotes. That said, the authors whom they turn to and draw on are well chosen, offering a good many promising leads for further reading.
That reliance on other authors occasionally suggests a thin appreciation of some of the science. For instance, “deep learning” is set up in contrast with “machine learning” when, in fact, the former is a subset of the latter. Alan Turing is discussed as the author of the famous “Turing Test” for genuine intelligence, as he was, but nothing is said — having mentioned him — about his wider part in setting out the foundations of computer science, which made me wonder whether the authors were aware of that contribution. These considerations do not undermine the book, but one would need to go elsewhere for an introduction to the computer science of AI.
None of those problems spoils the book, and its theology is robust (presented as “biblical perspective”, but just as much doctrinal). The authors’ sense of the range of ways in which AI affects our daily lives is impressive. Their choice to concentrate on education, discipleship, and ministry works well, with a chapter on each. To give an indication of their outlook, the chapter on discipleship concentrates on habit, embodiment, place, time, and sociality. The chapter on ministry offers helpfully concrete suggestions, without being prescriptive: grouped together as “Don’t do this”, “Proceed with caution”, and “Consider moving ahead” (i.e. consider adopting).
O’Callaghan and Hoffman are to be congratulated for writing a book that is useful in 2026 instead of addressing a future that may never come.
The Revd Dr Andrew Davison is Regius Professor of Divinity in the University of Oxford and a Canon Residentiary of Christ Church.
AI Shepherds and Electric Sheep: Leading and teaching in the age of artificial intelligence
Sean O’Callaghan and Paul A. Hoffman
Baker Academic £19.99
(978-1-5409-6801-2)
Church Times Bookshop £17.99
